


From the Robin's Nest

by ClintFuckingBarton



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU - Comicverse, Under the Red Hood
Genre: Adopted Children, Age Difference, Bat Family, Family Fluff, Gen, M/M, Occasional Dark Themes, Orphans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-26
Updated: 2013-06-20
Packaged: 2017-12-03 16:29:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/700318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClintFuckingBarton/pseuds/ClintFuckingBarton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time there was a really dysfunctional couple.  And that dysfunctional couple somehow ended up with two pretty dysfunctional children.</p>
<p>But in the end, everything turned out alright.  Because at least they had each other.</p>
<p>This is their story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Daddy

**Author's Note:**

> Let's get a few things straight about this story upfront:  
> \--There are two OC children in it.  
> \--This is JayDami relationship fic.  
> \--There will be fluff.
> 
> If you can't handle any of those things, this isn't the right place for you. If you can, please stick around! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Oh--and the chapters are purposefully short. So you can enjoy little bits of it without having to dedicate too much time! In case you want to read it while you're busy or something. I like digestible, tiny chapters. Ohhh yeah!

Jason Todd had been called a lot of things in his life. He’d been called a vigilante, murderer, gun slinger...zombie. Late for dinner. But he still wasn’t sure how he felt about the thing that the little bundle of 6-year-old barreling towards his knees was calling him (incidentally, the one thing he never thought he would be called, in the history of all existence)--

Daddy.

He had little time to brace for the impact of all 35 pounds of cuteness tackling him around the knees, little arms wrapping around him in the best hug she could muster. It still killed him to think about the way that they’d found her a year ago: barely five years old, no name other than ‘baby’, shoved under the stage in a seedy club. 

She’d come a long way in a year. 

She was full of life and excitement, all bright eyed and smiley faced. They’d put some meat on her bones, her hair wasn’t knotted anymore. There were still shadows in her eyes, sometimes--shadows that killed him to see in one so young--but her flinches and fits of crying had become few and far between. He hoped that one day they’d end all together.

“Woah now!” He bent down, scooping her in his arms, bumping his nose against her little one, close enough to see the light freckles across her skin, “I missed you too, Danny.”

She smiled, locking her arms around his neck, head falling to his shoulder. “You were gone all night long.”

He peeked over a head of blond hair to look at the clock. 7:24 AM. Yeah, he’d been out all night. And he was getting back a little later than he’d anticipated. He silently hoped that maybe a certain someone had--

“Momma’s still gone too. I thought I was gunna haffta ask Alex to walk me to the bus stop! But you promised! You proooomiiiised!”

\--that answered that.

“Now, would I forget a promise that I made to you, huh?”

“Only every Thursday!”

“She’s got you there.”

He didn’t even have to look to know that voice--it wasn’t unusual for Alex to be lounging on the couch in the morning while Danny got ready for school. He was something of an early riser. 

“Oh, c’mon you two! This is unfair--I only break my promises...every other Thursday.” Jason grinned.

But the little blonde in his arms had a leg up on him. Always did, somehow, which he had to fess up, bothered him a little. He was used to being ahead of the curve, but when it came to these kids, the best he could do was roll with the punches.

“Tell that to all the animals in the zoo that I still haven’t met! You were ‘posed to take me like nine hundred years ago!”

“Yeah dad, nine hundred years ago.” Alex added. Jason couldn’t see him, but he could hear the lazy smirk in his voice, the shifting of the couch fabric as the darker of the children moved to stand, “she’s got polar bears to prove her point, what did you bring to this mud fight?”

The pair worked too well together, when they wanted something. It was almost hard for Jason to believe they had only been siblings for the better part of a year.

“Are we still on about the zoo thing?” He set Danny down, “How about this...I walk you to the bus stop and we go to the zoo after school today? We’ll knock out two broken promises in one day.”

The way her face lit up would’ve been answer enough, even if she hadn’t started skipping around the room and singing ‘going to the zoo’. She was still mid skip as she made her way back down the hallway--Jason could only hope she was going to brush her teeth and finish getting ready.

He turned toward Alex, and he saw the grin on the teen’s face.

Jason Todd had been called a lot of things in his life. But sometimes, when one of his kids was grinning at him like that, and the other one was entering her second verse of ‘going to the zoo’ from the bathroom, he thought that maybe he knew how he felt about the thing that the the little bundle of 6-year-old who had previously barreled towards his knees had called him.

Daddy.

He’d been called worse.


	2. Zoo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fingers and carrots look nothing alike.
> 
> Unless you're a zebra.

Two questions asked at once, one was more loaded than the other. Unfairly so.

“Can we go to the giraffes first?”

“Is mom coming?”

Two questions asked at once. Which one to answer first? Jason let out a sigh and reached out to nudge Danny with his hand, angling her small frame toward a path, “The giraffes and rhinos are down this way, kiddo, sure we can hit them first.”

“Yaaay!” She jumped up and down, oblivious to the question her brother had posed--obviously much too excited about the prospect of giraffes. But Alex hadn’t forgotten, and he kept on looking at Jason until the second Robin honestly couldn’t ignore him anymore.

“Your mom’s kinda...busy.” He tried to shrug it off, keeping an eye on Danny as she powered on ahead. The Gotham Zoo had been host to it’s share of crime, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t expecting something to happen while they were attempting to enjoy their family outing...

“I know mom’s busy.” Alex finally dislodged his gaze from Jason, causing the older male a significant decrease in discomfort. “I just thought that...”

“I’m sure if your mom gets off early, then--”

“Oh my gosh!! A zeeeeebraaaaa!!!”

Saved by the bell. Jason rushed to catch up with Danny, who had pressed herself against the zebra fence with a wide grin on her face, “Honey, don’t stick your fingers in.”

“What? Is daddy ascared that the zebra’s gunna eat me?” She turned back toward him, smiling wide enough that every last one of her little teeth was visible, “It’s okay, daddy! Zebras are...uh...erby... Erbyvils!”

“Herbivores, Dan.” Alex corrected, falling in at her side, “They’re herbivores, but that doesn’t mean they don’t bite hard. And your fingers look an awful lot like baby carrots.”

She gasped, pulling her fingers away from the fence immediately and counting them, as if perhaps a zebra had eaten one while she wasn’t looking. “They don’t look nothin’ like baby carrots!”

“They do to a zebra!”

Jason bit back a laugh, watching as Alex reached out and grabbed Danny’s hand, bending down to try and nip at them. The blonde stumbled backward, half-laughing-half-screaming as she twisted to get away from her older brother.

“No no no!! You’re not even a zebra!!”

“How do you know that, huh?”

“You don’t have no stripes!”

A passing mother looked at the spectacle the kids were making with disdain. Jason purposefully tried to seem more scraggly than normal, giving her a lax grin and a half wave as Alex finally let up, turning back toward the fence, “Look, Danny. One’s coming close...watch your fingers...” he whispered the last part, but the six year old hadn’t learned her lesson, twining her fingers into the chain link to watch the animals more intently, eyes going wide with wonder. She stood there for a few moments, watching the zebras wander around the grass and flick their tails. She seemed engrossed by them--probably could have stood there for hours. But five minutes was pretty much Jason’s limit for any given exhibit.

“I thought you wanted to see the giraffes?” He reminded, and immediately she was dislodged from her task of watching the zebras.

“Oh yeah! Which way are they?”

Jason tilted his head in the direction, and moved his hand to her shoulder again, confident that Alex didn’t need him to hold his hand. They moved through a few more exhibits before they made it to their destination--where the two large giraffes were busy munching on leaves from a nearby tree.

“That’s so cool.” Danny said softly, pressing her nose against the fence, “It must be real neat to be a giraffe...so high up...!”

Jason smiled, watching her light up again. She seemed fond of animals with striking patterns--stripes, spots, you name it. And as much as he didn’t enjoy the smell of animal that hung around this place (and the crying children, and really annoying moms who didn’t understand that you gotta _watch your fucking kids_ ), he had to admit that it was refreshing to see her so...

...his thought process was interrupted by the fact that Alex wasn’t at his side. He’d just been thinking about irresponsible parenting, and here he was exhibiting it. Where had that kid gone off to...? Jason reached out and put a hand on Danny’s shoulder, not wanting to lose her while he turned to look for his other child. Luckily, the teenager wasn’t far--only a few steps away, really, and he seemed to be watching something with interest.

“Hey, Alex! How about you come join your sister in watching the gir--”

There was a scream, and suddenly Jason realized that the thing Alex had been watching with such intent had been a crowd of people scattering frantically.

Aw hell.

Two statements made at the same time, one more loaded than the other. Unfairly so.

“I guess mom’ll be coming.”

“Watch your sister.”

Two statements made at once.

Yeah, it looked like mom would probably be coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I'm going to try to update this at least like...twice a week. Let's see how long that lasts.


	3. Big Cats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The touching story of Dick Grayson and his new best friend, who happens to be a tiger.
> 
> This chapter summary is bullshit.

There was a list of things that Jason had been expecting today, and his older “brother” trying to calm down an angry tiger had been so unlikely, that it hadn’t even made the list.

“Um. I’m going to guess you got this.” Jason said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. He hoped that he appeared as composed as he felt for the current situation. Growing up the way he did, he’d seen a lot of things. Most of which never seemed strange while they were happening...although they occasionally felt at least a little odd after the fact. In a ‘wow, I saw a guy in a tacky outfit do something seriously strange today’ kind of way.

This was, decidedly, an exception. This felt pretty strange, even while it was happening.

Especially while it was happening.

“You want to stand there and be _really_ annoying or would you maybe consider giving a guy a hand?”

“I could give you a hand, but it kind of looks like Rajah there might be taking both of yours pretty soon, and it doesn’t really seem like a sound investment.”

If they had been in any other situation, Nightwing probably would’ve laughed at the Disney reference. But he really didn’t seem to be able to appreciate Jason’s sense of humor while wrestling with a 500 pound Bengal. 

“ _Chase the perp_ or I will issue a formal complaint to the sultan.”

Nevermind. Dick Grayson’s retort time was still 0 to 100 in three seconds, even while befriending carnivorous kitties.

“How did you even get here so qui--”

“I hardly think this is the time.”

“Alright, geeze, alright. One _free tigra_ aficionado, coming right up. Or at very least, I’ll do my best.”

Jason turned on his heel and darted out of the Big Cat House, hearing the familiar chirp of a little bluebird as he did so, “ _That one wasn’t even funny_.”

Never too busy to get in the last word.

Digging his heels into the dirt, he turned the corner, but found that he’d hit a wall. Not in a literal sense, so much as....well. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly like there was a nutcase sitting outside laughing about freeing fuzzy Willie. And surveying the crowd offered surprisingly little considering what a big attraction the cat house was. The best he could do was a sweep of other dangerous exhibits--but nothing else had been let out. Which meant that Jason Todd found himself sitting outside the Big Cat House again, feeling sort of like someone had gotten away with his picnic basket.

“I’m going to take this as a resounding ‘I didn’t catch the guy’ on your part.”

The voice behind him was just annoying enough that he didn’t have to turn around, but he did. Just so he could grin at Dick with just the proper amount of venom.

“It’s not like you gave me much to go off of, _sweet cheeks_.”

Dick sighed, and rubbed his temples, “Yeah, okay, you got me there. Learn anything from the crowd?”

“I learned that big, man-eating cats being loosed in a public place tends to make people freak the fuck out--but I’m pretty sure you didn’t need me to tell you that. What are you doing at the zoo in uniform in the middle of the day? I mean, tigers are pretty badass and everything, but I didn’t know the family was in the zoo keeping busine--”

“--before you finish that quip,” Nightwing held up something that looked surprisingly like a collar, and honestly...Jason couldn’t help himself.

He grinned, “Seems like an awful public place to be bringing up your fetishes.”

“Ha. Seems more like something we’d find in _your_ bedroom drawer.”

“Oh, baby, you know me _too well_.”

“Yeah, wel--”

“As much as I detest interrupting you two whilst you are flirting.”

Dick cringed at the voice, but Jason shivered. The familiar scratch of rocks on velvet--dark and cold but impossibly rich at the same time. And _oh so **familiar**_.

There was a list of things that Jason had been expecting today, and his “wife” accusing him of flirting was such a common occurrence that it was a surprise it didn’t hold the number one spot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops I did it again. Updated this fic. Somehow I wrote Dick. Oh baby baby, oops you think that I'm nuts. That I write like a cluuuuuuutttzzzz--
> 
> Briney Spears aside, lol. I hope this was okay. I'm not really in the business of writing Dick Grayson sooooo. Yeeaaaaaah~!
> 
> Today was a bad day in comic book history. I shall continue to write this AU and perservere with my love for Damian Wayne.


	4. Mommy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason’s ‘sleeping alone tonight’ senses were tingling.

Sometimes, on days like this, Jason thought that he needed to take a serious look at his life. Because, really, he had left the family about five millennia ago. And yet here he was. Listening to Dick.

“The collar sends a series of high-frequency sounds and shocks in a pattern defined by the user.”

“So basically, mind control? Except for tigers.”

“In theory it could be applied to other animals but, yeah. Nothing we haven’t seen before.”

“So...what? You think this is someone you’ve been up against in the past?”

“Nah.” Dick dropped the collar on the table, and ran a hand through his hair, “It was pretty primitive as far as controlling-tech goes, I’m thinking this is probably someone’s test run. Someone who’s planning on making a whole lot of noise--albeit lacking in grace.”

“Well, I’d love to say ‘I’ll help’, but you know I won’t so it would be a waste of time.” Jason moved his arms across his chest and leaned back. He hated being invited to the cave. It made him feel like they were trying to be all chummy-chummy-family-and-happy-times again. But he had to admit, he _didn’t_ mind getting to poke around.

Dick sighed, “Just keep an ear open... lots of kids at that zoo.”

Below the belt, Grayson. Below the belt. It was unfortunate that everyone knew Jason Todd’s weakness as if it were as public as the day of the week.

He didn’t even try to sound civil as he shot Dick the best ‘Red Hood Trademarked Glare’ he could muster, “Yeah, lots of fucking kids. Fine, whatever. If I hear anything I’ll let _Damian_ know.”

The small breath of air from the other side of the cave was the only indication that the aforementioned Robin was listening to their little quarrel, and it took every ounce of self control Jason had to not go over there. But Damian hadn’t said a word since they’d arrived at the cave, and Jason was pretty sure it was going to stay that way until...

“Master Damian, Master Jason. There are two small guests upstairs waiting for you...the commissioner just brought them by.”

Jason smacked himself mentally, but there wasn’t any time to explain before Damian was up and out of his chair, eyes narrowing at Jason as though he’d just found out that he was actually the Joker or something. “ _You_ \--” He was cut off by a wild Dick Grayson.

“--left your kids at the zoo?! Dude!”

“I uh...shit. Whoops?” He really didn’t have an explanation for this one. At all. It was the kind of terrible parenting move that he liked to believe was out of character for him. He turned to leave, but Damian was already on his way out, and Dick was surprisingly agile for a 500 year old, or whatever age he was going on. Besides, Jason would've been lying if he'd said he wasn’t just a little bit glad for it-- Damian seemed pretty unhappy. And Damian Wayne’s version of ‘pretty unhappy’ was ‘ready and willing to tear out a few jugular veins’. 

Jason’s ‘sleeping alone tonight’ senses were tinglin--

“Mommy!”

Every time one of those kids called Damian that, Jason found himself caught between laughing at how unfitting it was, and smiling at how much it seemed to fit. It had started out as a joke, honestly. A little thing that him and Alex had come up with one day to try and get Damian to smile. (It hadn’t worked, for the record. It had just made him break Jason’s favorite motorcycle and (childishly) shove some chewing gum in the top of the hood. _Who said Grayson hadn’t rubbed off on him just a little?_ )

After they'd gained Danny as a permanent addition to the family, though, it had become a permanent--if not out-of-place--way of reffering to the young Wayne.

Sometimes, the name did seem to fit. There was something of Talia in him--the more gentle side of Talia that Jason recognized. The over-protective-mama-bear-snuggles-and-care feeling that was so unlike Damian’s usual demeanor that it was almost unreal. Sometimes when he was curled on the couch watching Disney movies with Danny, Jason felt the tug of their rather extreme age difference. Sometimes when Damian was holding Alex after a particularly rough cold or flu, Jason didn’t even recognise him.

Other times, ‘mommy’ felt like an awfully unfitting thing for anyone to be calling Damian Wayne.

He bent down and picked up Danny, hugging her tight and stroking her hair, “I’m sorry your father is awful.” He stated bluntly-- it probably didn’t do much to reassure her.

“S’okay! Me and Alex saw the bat exhibit!”

Damian shot a glance to Alex, who just shrugged, “We don’t mind, it’s not like we were in any danger, mom.”

“That’s no excuse.” Damian turned and glared at Jason over Danny’s head. And--ah. Yep. He was sleeping alone tonight.

Sometimes, on days like this, Jason thought that he needed to take a serious look at his life. Because, really, he was dating Damian Wayne. And probably more terrifying...

...they were raising _kids_ together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks to pstarkrogers for assuring me that my writing wasn't completely awful. And a huge thanks to everyone who has read/kudos'ed/commented this fic. I hope it's not too much of a let down as we continue through our sickeningly fluffy tale.
> 
> The next chapter is "Beginning", and it'll hopefully shed some light on where I'm coming from with my portrayal of this pairing. Every 5th chapter will be a "flashback" of sorts, to fill you in on how the story got to this point. First up: Damian and Jason's Relationship. 10th Chapter: Alex's Backstory. 15th: Danny's Backstory.
> 
> Each 5th chapter is also about 3x as long, so I hope you don't mind that.
> 
> I have this story tentatively scheduled to run for about 20 - 30 chapters. I've never really undertaken anything in that many parts, but the chapters are pretty short, so I'm thinking it's not that intense. I've already written quite a few of them, so I pretty much just Beta and post. I'll continue to update at least once a week, barring natural disasters.


	5. Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kids, in the summer of some year or another, me and your mother (tried to kill each other) fell in love...

It all started a few years ago, with bruised knuckles and black eyes and broken ribs.

It started with a Robin who had a little bit too much anger, a little bit too much hate. He needed someone to punch, someone that would punch back, but not someone so vile that he would be tempted to bash their brains into the pavement.

He needed the Red Hood.

And that’s what it was, at first, Robin and the Red Hood. Running into each other every Saturday night like it was clockwork. One way or another, they would cross paths alone. They would punch and kick and scratch and bite and roll around in the dirt like two _really dangerous_ kittens at play. And then they’d part ways, whenever a clear winner had been decided. Of course things rarely stay that simple--especially for poor Jason Todd. Honestly, all he wanted was simplicity. It wasn’t much, what he was asking for. An apartment that didn’t reek like corpse. Warm bread on the table. Domination of Gotham’s drug trade.

Simple.

But he never got simple. Never.

So when Robin began to seek him out more frequently, when he seemed increasingly determined to break bones, the Red Hood started to wonder...what the fuck was going on with this psychotic little red bird?

And he asked, for better or for worse. Multiple times. Because the first answer he got was a knee to the gut, and the second was a fractured wrist. He didn’t remember the millions of other answers after that, or the responses he gave in turn. But he did remember, in all too vivid detail, the night that he finally figured it out...

Because that night he was straddled by the other, fingers pressed to each other’s throats, hearts racing. That night he looked up through laughs and gasps of breath and was halted completely by what he saw--

A lonely, messed up, kid who just wanted someone to pay attention to him. And if there was something the Red Hood did when he was fighting, it was pay attention. Damian, of course, never stated this himself. The answer he finally gave Jason was ‘punching you is fun for something so dull and repetitive’. But Jason...he’d known better, that night. Perceptive wasn’t exactly his middle name, but like called to like. There was an absolute chaos in Damian’s head that cried out in the night, begged to be let go. A beautiful violence. Inner nature ignored.

He wanted to keep to his father’s strict moral code, but he also wanted to bash in the brains of every murderer, child molester, and whacko in Gotham.

Jason could relate. With the last part, anyway. He’d given up on Bruce’s way of thinking a lifetime ago.

But he understood. Knew. Saw the shadows from behind Robin’s mask that night, and felt something. It was an uncertain kind of something, and it was uncomfortable for them both. Something had changed, but at the time neither of them knew what it was. It wasn’t the fighting--that kept on for years. Nor did they start weeping onto each other in glorious heart-to-hearts. It would be years before Jason would even realize what it was, the thing that had changed that night--and he wasn’t sure how long it took Damian, or if it occurred to him to think about exactly when it had happened.

That was the night it stopped being Robin and the Red Hood.

The night they saw each other for who they were.

It was the night that Damian Wayne and Jason Todd first met.

Things started changing after that night, slowly. Sometimes Damian would drop by for information--which Jason always gave in the most roundabout fashion possible. Or he’d be found patrolling just close enough to Jason’s beat that he could drop in when things sounded like they were getting sticky, or he’d stroll passed one of Jason’s many safe houses in the middle of the day (as if to say ‘hey, Todd, I know where you live’).

Years and age brought with them puberty. And puberty brought hormones, and hormones brought sloppy makeouts in dark back alleys. At first it was probably just the rush of violence that brought their lips together--the feeling of adrenaline and bruises urging one party or another to take it up a notch. And after that, it was probably the natural need they both had to come out on top--whoever could leave the most hickeys, the most bite marks, the most bruises. But over time, Jason started to wonder something again. This time, he started to wonder something more personal than ‘what the fuck is going on with this little psycho?’. This time he started wondering...

what the fuck is going on between us?

It would’ve been less unsettling if he’d at least known the answer from his own perspective. But he didn’t even know that. Some days he hated the kid. Wanted nothing more than to get him out of his face. Some days he lusted for him--wanted to shove him into the wall of a dark alley, or bend him over the edge of a dumpster. But other days...other days, he could swear they were close--almost intimate--with each other. Other days they curled up on Jason’s couch after a long night, muscles sore and hands bleeding, and just sat there. Content to be with each other. To rest and listen to heartbeats, to breaths. Enjoy each other’s warmth. Some days Damian Wayne spun a web of lies to avoid telling his father, or Grayson, where he’d actually been all night--and not because they would disapprove of where he was or who he was with (although they would disapprove)--but because he was too proud to admit that he would tug another’s arms around himself, and settle his face against another’s chest. 

And it was moments like that, that confused the hell out of Jason Todd. Because he didn’t do relationships. And even if he did, he wouldn’t consider for even a second that he and Damian could ever have one.

But the longer they spent together, the more apparent it became that there was something going on between them, and that that ‘something’ wasn’t just a terrible fuckbuddy relationship. When Damian would come over and jab Jason’s wounds repeatedly before patching them up, or unwittingly attempt to straighten out the living room whilst complaining that he wasn’t a maid, Jason would start to think. He’d start to think, and every time he came to the same conclusion-- that he couldn’t ignore whatever this was forever. Couldn’t pretend that they were in a casual lust-lationship with no attachments. Because the longer they kept denying it, the more their risk of losing it increased. And Jason didn’t want to lose ‘it’. Whatever it was.

He remembered the day it came to a head, remembered when the disgusting truth came pouring out.

Damian had been patching up a particularly nasty bullet wound for him, purposefully jabbing the needle just a little too sharply, mouth drawn into an even tighter frown with every stitch. All of Jason’s attempts to lighten the mood had fallen flat, and he had reverted to staring at Damian with the same intense seriousness, taking in every little line on the younger male’s face. Sometimes he looked so much like Bruce, all frowns and furrowed brows. But there was something more to it--a fire that was always lit behind those eyes. The thing that Jason couldn’t get enough of.

“You could just pour some salt in it, and get it over with.” Jason had joked when Damian made a pointedly rough jab.

“You took a needless risk today.”

The fire from his eyes had found residence in his tone, edged with a dash of something that Jason couldn’t quite understand.

“Well, y’know what they say--once you’ve died once...”

“I’m certain that there are no sayings on that topic, actually.”

There had been a moment between them, then, as their eyes met in an uncomfortable mixture of snark and concern, and Jason felt that question pounding in his skull, trying to get out. It had been building, over time, and seeing the worry in Damian only served to feed the flame.

Oddly enough, Jason couldn’t recall what was said between the sass and the confession. He couldn’t remember how, exactly, he told Damian that they were dating. But he did remember that it _was_ telling (not asking) that he had done. He remembered that the youngest Robin had gotten a look on his face, an uncertain, almost panicked look. He remembered the way the other botched the last stitches, and fled out the window, and the days they spent apart afterward. He remembered the crushing loneliness that came with an empty bed, and emptier nights.

He remembered the way, after three whole weeks, Damian showed back up on the couch of a safe house one day, bruised and battered and looking positively miserable, while still simultaneously being the most self-assured bastard Jason had ever seen.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” He had asked, probably with a dash of insensitivity.

And those impossibly deep eyes had looked to him, lighting just slightly as an invisible smirk curled onto the other’s features. “I can’t stop by to see my boyfriend without an ulterior motive?”

That had been it. In that moment, Jason Todd could no longer find it in himself to carry any animosity for the whole month Damian had been away, nor could he find it in himself to uphold the mask of uncaring. He would never admit to anyone what happened that night--how he scooped the young man up in his arms and deposited him in a hot bath. How he traced the bruises and scrapes and cuts with his fingers, gingerly caring for each one in a slow and careful fashion he never would’ve used for himself. How the two of them embraced one another that night and whispered apologies and insecurities until neither was sure they really knew one another anymore.

The way they kissed.

The way they disappeared into each other.

But after that it was over, they were forever changed. Sure, they still fought sometimes. Still threw each other into alley walls. Still had to swear (uncomfortably) to Dick that the guns they used in bed were _never **actually** loaded_. But it was different. And when Damian almost died on a particularly scary Gotham night, Jason was there at his bedside. He kissed every part of that face he loved so much and promised, _swore_ , that if Damian would just wake up, they would get married. He petted that dark hair and wept like a child every time that monitor slowed. And when Damian finally did wake, he held his hand and cussed him out when he tried to overexert himself. 

He found out that Damian hadn’t been fully unconscious, as well. And that he took marriage proposals pretty seriously. And even though Damian was still young, and they were hardly functional, and it was a terrible idea, Bruce gave his blessing. Because both of them were only ever a second away from death, and honestly, what could it hurt?

Besides, they’d have a hell of a story to tell their kids, one day, if there ever were any.

They’d say it all started a few years ago, with bruised knuckles and black eyes and broken ribs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written kind of oddly, but I hope it's still enjoyable and understandable. Trying to elaborate upon a relationship which I have extensive headcanon and RP background for and staying under 5 pages was sort of rough for me. You'll get more background on them in later chapters, as well as background on the kids and where they came from.
> 
> Stick with me! ;w; I'll try to impress.


	6. Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes it's probably best not to say anything at all.

They didn’t say a word to one another.

Danny was in the backseat, going on about the bat exhibit and how exciting it had been. Jason occasionally interjected with a statement of interest, but luckily Alex was conversing with her pretty steadily. It was welcome noise, considering Damian had refused to speak to or look at Jason since the kids had been dropped off at the manor. And he was so angry that he wouldn’t even turn on the radio in the car.

Not even to that classical station that Jason hated so fucking much.

The car ground to a halt in the driveway, and a quick glance to the side confirmed that Damian’s knuckles were white from holding the wheel too tightly. Jason had to admit, the young Wayne deserved some props. A year ago, they would’ve degraded to full-blown yelling and punch throwing by now. But having an impressionable youth like Danny around had changed them both in a lot of ways, and knowing where and when not to yell was one of those ways.

At least, they knew most of the time.

“Get your sister into the house, Alex.”

The teen bit the inside of his cheek, and Jason could hear him shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“Are you two going to fight? We’re seriously oka--”

Damian turned around, finally letting go of the wheel. There was something about the way he turned that flashed warning signs in Jason’s vision, and he leaned back casually in his chair to smile at Alex before Damian could speak, “It’s fine, Alex. Go get Dan ready for bed.”

Danny smiled wide and slipped out of the car, leaving Alex little choice but to follow her--she was either exercising the obliviousness of a small child, or she was trying to defuse the situation, and Jason wasn’t going to argue either way. He reached across Damian and clicked the garage opener, trying to reassure himself that the kids would be alright on their own--they were literally the most secure house in suburbia, but that didn’t stop Jason from checking every room twice before he felt at ease every night.

There was a continued silence between the two of them until the kitchen light came on, and Damian let out a breath which had previously been held captive in his lungs.

“Before you say anything, remember that the neighbor’s opinion of us is already pretty questionable as is and--”

“--you left our _children_ at a _crime scene_.”

There was enough venom in those words to make Jason’s frame shudder. It wasn’t fear, really. He didn’t think there was ever a time that he was truly afraid of Damian Wayne. It was something else, something raw and primal. It might be called attraction, really, as completely and utterly terrible as that was. Because damn if Damian wasn’t attractive when he was ready to tear out someone’s eyes.

“They were fine. It was a little incident, and it’s not like they were in any dange--”

“Don’t!” That word was all it took for the younger male to have a hand hovering over Jason’s throat, not touching, but waiting. He raised his free hand and pointed it right in Jason’s face, letting out a sharp breath, “Don’t argue that with me. You don’t know how dangerous it could’ve been, what if there had been more attacks? Or different ones?: Jason swallowed and the movement caused their skin to brush. Still not fear. But he was nervous. It had been a while since the two of them had been in a legitimate fight, and he'd hate to have to explain bruises like that to the kids. "What if they had gotten kidnapped, or something as simple as... as simple as...” Looked like bruises wouldn't be a problem--both hands dropped into Damian's lap, and the younger male seemed to deflate a little. Jason took the cue to reach awkwardly across the distance between them and touch his lover’s face, running a thumb against those cheekbones he liked so much.

“The kids are safe, doll, calm down.”

“If you call me _doll_ again, I’ll tear out your tongue and have it mounted as a trophy in the cave.”

Jason wanted to laugh but somehow thought it might be in poor taste, “Shhh, sorry. Look, it was an accident. And the kids are safe, so just calm down. I won’t let it happen again, okay? You know I’m still getting used to this ‘taking-care-of-others’ thing.”

“I know.” Damian reached up and placed his hand over Jason’s, the hostility slowly edging out of his voice, “Still. That’s hardly an excuse for leaving two children behind in a dangerous situation. How would you feel if something ha--”

“--awful, Damian. I’d feel awful. Okay? I _feel_ awful. Now... can we not? Can we just be alright with the fact that the kids are okay, and forget that I dumbly left them behind, and get on with our usual bullshit?”

Their eyes met for a moment, and Jason knew that Damian saw it. Unfortunately, they’d been together too long for him _not_ to see when Jason was being made extremely uncomfortable.

He would either make him more uncomfortable, or drop it, depending on how venomous he was feeling today.

“Tt--fine. But if you ever do it again, I want a _divorce_.”

Jason smirked and leaned over, kissing the other on the lips, “Deal.”

Damian turned and Jason swore that he saw something of a smile on the other’s face as he slipped out of the car. The older male followed suit, and fell in at Damian’s side, grabbing his hand as they made the walk into the garage. The other puffed his cheeks out a little, as if he were going to argue with the hand holding, but Jason just tightened his grip to inform him that he had no intention of letting go.

They stopped so that Damian could enter the security code, and Jason reached over to open the door.

His eyes locked with Damian’s for a second, and he was glad this hadn’t ended up one of their more violent lover’s quarrels. He could tell from that self-assured smile that Damian felt the same way.

He took a step forward to enter the kitchen, and they didn't say a word to each other as they were greeted with the familiar sound of Alex and Danny saying their goodnights.

It had been a rough day.

But Jason probably wouldn’t be sleeping alone tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kind of transitional bluh. But I had to publish it because wow I got behind my publishing schedule. Teehehehe... =w=


	7. Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who--other than Little D--doesn't like egg hunts?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not overly fond of this chapter but it was needed to get some important things out of the way. Hopefully it's at least informative. At least you get some Dick Grayson, right?

Jason rubbed at his temples in an attempt to ward off the migraine that was building in the back of his skull. He’d been awake for a little over 72 hours and all he wanted to do was finish up and get to bed but n--

“Oh, come on, guys! It’s an egg hunt! Who doesn’t love an egg hunt?”

No. No rest for the wicked, Jason Todd.

“I detest egg hun--”

“Who _other than Little D_ doesn’t like egg hunts?”

Jason shifted. He really didn’t want to be in the middle of this. Or tangential to it. Or anywhere in a 100 mile vicinity of it, really. And he didn’t mean the egg hunt. He mostly meant Dick Grayson. And Dick Grayons’s _energy_. “There are plenty of people out there who don’t celebrate Easter, and they probably think egg hunts are ridiculous. What do they have to do with zombie Jesus anyway? I’ve come back from the dead and let me tell you, there are no festive eggs involved.”

Dick’s face settled into an uncertain expression for a moment, before unfurling into an exaggerated pout.

Jason made light of his death all the time. It used to bother a lot of family members (which, arguably, was why he did it), but Dick had gotten used to the practice a year or two ago. He was even starting to take the jokes with good humor, although the same couldn’t be said for Bruce.

“You sure there weren’t a couple painted eggs floating in the lazarus pit with you?”

“Hell if I remember, Dick, I was kinda busy being, you know, surprised by the whole ‘being alive’ thing.”

“So it’s possible that there actually are eggs in the la--”

“Mother finds pastel colors to be absolutely abhorable. She would’ve done away with those tacky things in an instant.”

“Yeah but--”

“But nothing, Grayson, your argument is invalid. Besides, I don’t understand the point in encouraging such useless activities within my family.”

“Come on, Little D! Mini D is only like...six? You can’t tell me that you’ve refrained from letting her enjoy _any_ holidays while she’s been in your care?”

“You are fully aware we declined father’s Christmas invitation last year.”

The look on Dick’s face was the kind of look usually reserved for people who had committed terrible acts against humanity, and he aimed it at Jason. Like _he_ was supposed to be the person steering this ‘family’ in the correct direction.

Pft. Yeah right. 

“Damian!”

“What?!”

“Jason!”

“Whaaaat?”

“You two didn’t seriously--”

“Shh, _Nightwing_. Our guests have arrived.”

Jason didn’t wait for the other two to move, because frankly, he wanted to escape this conversation as quickly as possible. He didn’t want to explain that they _had_ in fact had a holiday celebration, but that they’d wanted it to be contained for Danny’s sake. December of last year wasn’t that long ago, but just those few months had been _years_ in terms of Danny’s progress. They had chosen to avoid the ‘family’ celebrations because they hadn’t wanted to overwhelm her. That didn’t mean that Damian had told any member of the family the truth, when asked. He much preferred to be contrary and make everyone feel like he was entering into some sort of lame parenting contest that only he was competing in.

It wasn’t the first time Dick had harped on it, it was just the first time he’d remembered that they hadn’t attended the Christmas celebrations.

No time to think about it right now, though. Jason whipped out a gun and bashed the butt against the skull of the highly coveted Goon Number One before aiming another straight in the face of his old friend, Goon Number Two.

“Good Evening, fellows.” His grin wasn’t visible under the hood, but it was more than evident in his voice. Somewhere above him, Robin and Nightwing were probably rethinking the idea to bring him along on this mission, but no one in the room needed to know that he didn’t actually have any intention of shooting this guy in the head.

Not while Damian and Dick were here, anyway.

“Let’s have a chat.”

==

Three hours, a botched interrogation, and a few more bullets than he’d intended to use later, they’d come to an agreement--no one would ever speak of this again, and they would go to the damn Easter celebration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next on FtRN: WILL STEPH FINISH HER WAFFLES BEFORE IT'S TIME TO GO TO THE EASTER EGG HUNT?!?! WILL JASON PASS THE BREAD (probably not)?!?! HAS BRUCE WAYNE COMPLETED HIS TRANSFORMATION INTO A JUNGLE GYM?!?!


	8. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The touching story of Steph and her waffles (and other breakfast foods with the Batfam).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today I got to add more characters to the tag for this story and it was good.  
> I apologize for Babs not being here--I promise to give her a cameo eventually. This was a lot of batkids to juggle for one chapter yo.
> 
> ALSO: Just a quick thanks to everyone who has commented/kudo'ed/read this story. ;w; I wish I could give you all hugs and chocolate (or another snack of your choice)!

“There are few things in this world I like as much as I like these waffles.”

“There are few things in this world you like as much as you like waffles in general, Steph.”

“Yes but _these waffles_ ,” the blonde grinned across the table at Dick, waving a forkful of the syrupy breakfast food at him pointedly, “they’re wonderful.”

“It’s the hazelnut, I think.” Tim offered with a laugh, “secret ingredient that actually isn’t all that secret.”

“Well, they’re _insanely_ awesome. Criminally delicious. Criminally insane waffles. They should probably be locked up in Arkham.”

“So should the guy who refuses to pass the bread basket.”

Jason grinned across the table at Tim and stroked the top of the bread basket possessively. “Sorry, replacement. The bread has declared me king, to pass them to you would be a betrayal of the citizen's trust.” Dick snorted, and Jason continued lightly, “Besides, you didn’t say please.”

“I did so.”

“Yeah well...me and Damian decided before we got here that we were teaming up against you, sorry.”

“Damian! I thought we were over this!”

The younger Wayne smirked and made a small noise, resting his head against Jason’s shoulder, “Even if we hadn’t made the pact, Jason wouldn’t give you the bread. Do you know how he _feels_ about baked goods?”

“Well, ye--”

Dick shook his head, “No, Tim. You think you know. But you don’t. Jason loves that bread, he loves it more than he loves _Damian_.”

“That’s a harsh accusation.” Jason stated, wrinkling his nose just slightly, “I love Damian as much as I love bread, probably.”

Warning Jason Todd, incoming fist.

He managed to scoot his chair closer to Dick in time to miss the swing Damian had aimed at him, but before he could even consider apologizing for the offense (or complaining that it was a joke) a deep voice cut across the room with a great amount of humor.

Which was weird, but indescribably nice to hear.  
“No violence at the breakfast table.”

A glance upward confirmed that Bruce had finally returned, looking rather sharp in his suit. Always put together. Even with a six-year-old on his shoulders. Jason was a little envious.

Speaking of that six-year-old, she giggled and tapped her grandfather on the shoulder, leaning to whisper something in his ear. He smiled and set her on her feet, where she immediately went into a spin, trying to show off her Easter dress. It was cute--white with a classy floral lace overlay on the bottom. The top was a silky robin egg blue, with a few embroidered white flowers just above the lace tie. She wore a small shrug made of the same lace, and ballet slippers in the same shade of blue.

The only thing out of place was that damned Batgirl ribbon tied in her hair--Steph had given it to her ages ago, and the kid rarely ever left the house without it.

She finished her spin and hopped over to her chair, smiling wide at the table, “Innit it sooooo pretty?! G’andpa got it for me!”

That smile. Fucking contagious.

“It’s lovely, Danny.” Damian beat him to the line, reaching over and stroking down her hair, “Did you say thank you?”

“Lots and lots!” She squirmed in her chair, but the second Bruce had sat down she bounced over and shot into his lap, hugging him tight, “And lots and lots and lots and lots!”

Jason laughed, but he wasn’t the only one at the table who did so. “Where’s your brother?” He glanced around the room--the three had left together, only two had returned.

“Fixin his haaiiir,” she drew it out, rolling her forehead against the arm of her newfound ‘seat’. “I ‘unno why. S’just gun get all messy outside after we find eggs with the Easter Bunny.”

“That is messy work!” Dick chimed in. It was weird how the presence of a child deaged everyone at the table about 100 years. Not just Dick in particular--he was always kind of childish--but everyone. Cass was smiling quietly from her place next to Steph, and Bruce looked absolutely different. He always did when Danny was around. Being a grandpa suited him, in a weird way.

“You better try not to get that pretty dress all messy, though. We’ll want to get pictures after.” 

Danny nodded excitedly, but the sound of someone else shuffling into the room distracted her from further response.

Alex. Looking positively out of place with neatly brushed hair, a blue button up to match Danny, and a pair of relaxed black jeans. The jeans were part of what he’d arrived in, and Jason had no doubt in his mind that the shirt had originally been intended to go with some slacks or a nice pair of khakis.

He really did take after his dad.

“Alex!” Danny bounced on Bruce, who hardly seemed bothered by the excitable bundle of 6 year old that had decided to make him a seat. She climbed upward, resting her head on his shoulder so she could see her brother, smiling. “We match!”

“Yep!” The teenager moved behind their grandfather’s chair, and gently poked at the ribbon in her hair, “Don’t you have something a little fancier for Easter, Dan?”

She stuck out her tongue, “G’andpa said it looked nice!”

“Yeah? Well you know what...” Alex smirked and leaned close to her face before he whispered, “...it _does_ look nice.” He bapped Danny on the nose, and she laughed, sinking back against Bruce with a giggle, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“What happened to your fancy pants?” Dick asked as the teen settled into his own seat. Alex gave a shrug.

“I sold my soul to Alfred to avoid them.”

Jason snickered. He was sure that had been a _lovely_ conversation. 

"So are you going to be coming with us, Cass?" Tim had to lean around Stephanie a little in order to get a better view of her as he asked--and it was a good thing he did because she simply shook her head.

"Egg hunts aren't really her beat," Steph offered gently, shrugging her shoulders and stuffing a piece of bacon in her mouth, "Besides. I think the only reason all of us are going is to watch Damian and Jason squirm."

Dick snickered, and the look Damian gave him was pure venom.

“Well, if everyone is done chatting--we should finish breakfast quickly,” Bruce advised, “we’ve got an hour before we’re due at the egg hunt.”  
Danny bounced a little again, but said nothing.

“I’ve only got like...30 minutes to cram all these waffles in my face?” Steph groaned.

“I’m sure you’ll live.” Jason shoved a roll in his mouth as a form of punctuation.  
He was going to need all the carbs possible to deal with this outing .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next on FtRN: Jason Todd employs bad driving habits--will everyone survive the drive to the park?! How did Steph sweet talk her way into Jason's car?! DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY LIKE DAMIAN'S VEGITARIAN TACOS?!?!
> 
> Alternatively: A figure from Alex's past initiates a flashback.  
> ((OOOOHHH THE FLASHBACK CHAPTER IS COMING UP SOON WOWOW.))


	9. Egg Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the Easter Egg Charity Hunt, put on by the Wayne Foundation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAST TIME, ON ROBIN'S NEST:  
> Tim is pregnant! IS STEPH THE FATHER?  
> (I'm a very serious author, aren't I? Sorry this took so long to publish! I should be back to a regular schedule soon.)

Jason was really uncomfortable letting other people drive, so he and Alex had taken their own car. Dick and Steph had somehow talked their way into hitching a ride with them--which left Damian in the uncomfortable position of riding in the fancy sport’s car with Bruce, Danny, and most unfortunately, Tim.

Part of Jason wished he could be there to see it. Part of him just felt bad for replacement. 

The two hadn’t ever really bridged the gap between them, although they hated each other marginally less than their first years knowing each other. Damian even called Tim his ‘brother’, sometimes, when Tim wasn’t around to hear it. But the relationship was strained, and Jason couldn’t say he blamed Damian...he’d heard Damian talk about it. How hard it was to be the son that Bruce didn’t ask for. Trying to live up to every expectation, and wanting to one-up Tim at every turn. It was natural to feel a fierce sense of competitiveness for the Robin that came before you, he thought. But for Damian there was an added sting. And sure, Damian had been the reason their relationship was rocky in the first place (beating the shit out of someone and giving them a severed head was hardly grounds for brotherly love), but Tim hadn’t aided it much since.

It was a tough situation, and a little sad, if not also a bit hilarious to watch unfold. But that was terrible of Jason to think.

“So...you think the press is going to spin you and Damian not showing up together as trouble in paradise or...?”

Steph’s voice was playful, but it also showed a hint of concern. Jason rubbed his temples with one hand, the other not leaving the wheel. Safe driving, kids. Don’t be like Jason Todd. Maintain 2-10 position on the wheel. He sighed and tossed a quick glance in the mirror to see her face. More concern than play. Great.

“I don’t stress it. I’m pretty sure there’s not a damn bad thing the media can say about us that they haven’t already said. Do you know what it’s like having a ‘child bride’, Steph? Do you?”

She laughed, and some of the tension eased out of her voice, but Dick slipped a hand across the gear shift and onto Jason’s knee.

“You two _are_ happy, right?”

Jason almost spat up his own intestines, trying not to swerve the car.

“Jesus, Dick, I don’t know! We’ve got two fucking kids, a cat, a dog, and a _cow_ \--even if that last one doesn’t live with us. We have the nicest house on our street, the neighbors think I torture people in our basement, and every Tuesday Damian makes these terrible vegetarian tacos that everyone pretends to like but I’m pretty sure all of us know they taste like shit. We haven’t killed each other yet, although sometimes we throw plates. And this is all only three short years into a marriage between a guy who’s been in Arkham more times than he can count and a guy who had to get his _father’s permission_ to get hitched. What do _you think_?”

Two people spoke at once, next.

“Well, when you say it like that, you actually sound pretty miserable.”

and,

“You mean you hate mom’s tacos, too?”

One Stephanie Brown snorted loudly in the back seat, and Jason sighed.

“Dick, if you think that’s me being miserable, you don’t know me at all. I hate to get all sentimental--because it’s really a cramp on my bad boy style--but do you think I would’ve gotten all matrimonial in the first place if I didn’t care about that little shit with every last molecule of my black, shriveled heart? I gave up everything for what I have now, but I love my life. Every fucked up little aspect.” he leaned just slightly, not taking his eyes off the road, but speaking to Alex directly, “I especially love your mother’s shitty vegetarian tacos.”

One Dick Grayson was too busy being stunned to say anything, thank god. But Alex snickered in the back seat.

“I know the truth now, dad, don’t lie.”

Jason rolled his eyes as they pulled into the parking lot, and jammed his car into a back space before turning around and gently touching a finger to Alex’s nose.

“Tell your mother the truth about his tacos, and we’ll all be eating them every day for the next five months. Just keep that in mind, Allie.”

Alex puffed out his cheeks to say something, but stopped. Because he knew it was true.

==

The Easter Egg Hunt is a charity event put on by the Wayne Foundation. It’s free to the public, but more fortunate families in attendance are encouraged to donate. Every year they pick a different cause to donate all the proceeds to, and this year it’s rebuilding an orphanage which was exploded unfortunately a little less than two years ago.

Had Jason known the cause, he probably would’ve left Alex at home. But even upon hearing about it, the teen assured him that he was alright. That it didn’t bother him to hear that his old home would be rebuilt--in fact he was happy--and the conversation had ended there. Jason didn’t want to beat a dead horse, so he let the boy run off with his sister, who had already found herself a group of other small children to hunt eggs with.

She seemed at ease. Alex even seemed at ease. Damian, however, did not. Jason and the others who’d arrived in his car were able to avoid any cameras or reporters, slipping around the back of the park and making their own quiet entrance. Bruce’s car had not been so lucky. Of course, this was normal for those three, and that alone wasn’t enough to put Damian on edge...no. It was the kids. It was the fact that the kids, unlike their marriage, had never been exposed to public eye. Damian was nervous--and reasonably so--to put two already damaged children under the damaging lens of public scrutiny.

Oh, and from the way he was standing next to Bruce, eyes not-so-casually drifting to Danny and Alex every few minutes, Jason would guess that the young Wayne was anticipating a kidnapping.

Only one thing to do about an over-protective mommy robin...

He waited for a break in the small interview that Tim, Bruce, and Damian were giving (no doubt on the intricacies of why this cause had been picked, and what goes into arranging the egg hunt and picnic and blah blah blah...) and slid up behind Damian with a charming smile, wrapping his arms around the smaller male.

“ _Miiiind_ if I interrupt?”

The clicking noise that Damian made with his tongue bespoke of all _kinds_ of disapproval, but it was lost in the reporter’s excited jumping to ask them as many questions as possible about their marriage. She was courteous, at least, starting off with a simple ‘may I ask you a few questions?’ And Jason didn’t mind. They’d rehearsed this crap a thousand times, anticipating their eventual return to the land of ‘famous-people-who-non-famous-people-want-to-know-about’ dom. Jason’s name wasn’t Jason Todd, of course. He technically was some guy that Damian had met while working with the company. They were in love. Jason was apparently sick a lot, and that’s why they’d married so quickly. Never sure when he was going to die, or some sentimental bullcrap. He had the medical records to back it up, the whole nine yards.

Load of bullshit, obviously, but it beat the alternative ‘I’m Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne’s supposedly long dead ward’ or the other alternative ‘I’m the Red Hood, and yes, Bruce let his son marry a crime lord.’

Either of those would’ve been significantly more entertaining, but hey. You win some, you lose some.

The interview took about 20 minutes and served as a successful distraction to Damian’s worrying about the kids. By the time they were done, Danny had resumed her usual task of turning Bruce into her own personal jungle gym, and Alex was nowhere to be found.

Nowhere to be found.

Jason experienced a momentary lapse in his cool, and panic hit him. He released Damian’s arm, swinging around to survey the rest of the park.

“What is it, Ja--”

“Shh, I just think that I might’ve lost--”

“Boys!”

Jason jumped, and had his gun been more accessible, he would’ve shot Dick Grayson right in the foot. Luckily for everyone involved, it was tucked in his jacket in a rather difficult pocket, as per Bruce’s request.

“Looking for something?” Dick asked, completely oblivious to the fact he’d almost been shot just now. When Jason didn’t answer, the oldest Robin gently pointed towards the edge of the park, closer to the parking lot. Alex was there, with another boy.

Needless to say, some of Jason’s tension eased off.

“Grayson. Was it completely necessary to be so exuberant in getting our attention?”

“It’s Easter, Damian! Exuberance always!”

Damian and Dick had just begun getting into one of their usual arguments while Jason set off toward Alex. The boy he was with must’ve been a few years younger than Alex, and he was lanky in build. Poor, but not one of the orphans in attendance judging from the way he was dressed. When Jason approached, the other boy froze, but Alex relaxed and threw Jason a smile.

It was forced, and Jason could tell.

“Hey dad.”

“Who’s your friend, Alex?”

Alex reached out and patted the other boy on the shoulder, causing him to relax.

“This is Pedro. We grew up together...at the orphanage.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, on FtRN: GOTHAM CITY, TWO YEARS AGO.  
> The origin story of Alex.


End file.
